Astro Bot Hands-On: This Is PlayStation’s Serious Mario Competitor – CNET [CNET]

The robot is best known to PS5 owners as a throw-in controller demo. I took the new full-length platforming game for a spin.

Astro Bot is finally getting its own full-length game this fall. Until now the character has been relegated to two small demo games designed to show off PlayStation’s unique hardware, namely the first PlayStation VR headset and the PS5’s DualSense controller. Simply titled Astro Bot, the new full game will have far more content than the first two games and a $60 price to match — it’s available for preorder already.

During Summer Game Fest 2024 I got to play the upcoming platformer during one of several behind-closed-doors sessions. Many aspects of the game will seem familiar if you played the PlayStation 5 pack-in title, Astro’s Playroom, but the full game takes those unique mechanics even further. In my brief play through, the colorful whimsy and tough challenges reminded me of the platforming greats, like many in Nintendo’s Mario series.

The game still heavily relies on the controller’s haptic feedback, gyroscope and adaptive triggers to help the player feel more immersed in the world. For example, walking over a hard surface, like glass or metal, will make the controller gently rumble in sync with Astro’s feet. I really liked the new dog-like backpack that shoots Astro forward like a rocket when I pressed the right trigger. It can be used for platforming challenges or taking out enemies.

Our demo contained five stages to play through, including two standard levels that will feel the most familiar to fans of the series. As Astro, I ran through vibrant and colorful areas, collecting coins, fighting off enemy robots and exploring to find hidden friends. 

These hidden robots act as collectibles, and many of them will be themed to other PlayStation games. The stages I saw included characters resembling Ratchet and Rivet from the Ratchet and Clank games, as well as Kratos and Atreus from God of War. Collecting all seven hidden robots in a stage will get you a gold flag for that world. (The developer running my demo said I was the only journalist so far to get gold flags on all five stages — clearly I’m a pro-level gamer.)

Outside of exploration stages, there are also boss fights. I took on a giant mechanical octopus with boxing gloves on several of its tentacles. Astro Bot is known for getting level-specific upgrades to traverse the world in different ways. One of the new mechanics used here is a pair of extending boxing gloves that you’ll use to swing around and fight with (which heavily utilize the DualSense’s adaptive triggers). To avoid spoilers, I’ll simply say I left the fight with only a single life left and a welcome sense of accomplishment. 

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The last two stages I played are short but difficult platforming challenges unique to this installment in the series. They only last for a minute or two, but took several attempts to get through because you have to restart if you fall off the map or take just a single hit.

My favorite level in the whole demo employed a fascinating time-bending mechanic. Many of the enemies and platforms are moving at extreme speeds and you have to use a unique item to slow down time enough for you to run through the next set of obstacles. This meant fighting enemies and jumping through dangerous paths before the world sped back up.

Astro Bot is shaping up to be a momentous platformer. I’m a big fan of the last two games, and jumping into this demo and hearing the familiar theme music immediately brought a smile to my face. I can’t wait for the release later this year. Astro Bot comes out on Sept. 5 for PlayStation 5.